Letting someone go ahead in line | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Letting someone go ahead in line to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Excusez-moi, vous pouvez passer devant moi.

ex-kew-ZAY-MWAH, voo poo-VAY pah-SAY duh-VAHN MWAH. Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

Vous êtes vraiment d'accord ? Je ne veux pas prendre votre place.

voo ZET vray-MAHN dah-KOR? zhuh nuh VUH pah PRAHNDR votr PLASS. Are you sure? I don't want to take your place.

Ce n'est pas grave, vos sacs ont l'air lourds.

suh nay pah GRAHV, voh sahk ohn LAIR LOOR. It's all right, your bags look heavy.

Je vous remercie.

zhuh voo ruh-mare-SEE. I appreciate it.

Je ne serai au comptoir qu'une minute.

zhuh nuh suh-RAY oh kohm-TWAHR kuhn mee-NÜT. I'll only be a minute at the counter.

Je peux attendre encore un peu.

zhuh PUH ah-TAHNDR ahn-KOR uhn PUH. I can wait a little longer.

Je vais faire attention à ne pas vous retarder.

zhuh vay fair ah-tahn-SYOHN ah nuh pah voo ruh-tar-DAY. I'll make sure I don't hold you up.

Word by Word

Excusez-moi “Excusez-moi” means “excuse me” and politely gets the other person’s attention. This form is useful when addressing someone formally or addressing several people, for example before making a request in a public place.

vous “Vous” means “you” in this dialogue and is used for polite address or for more than one person. It is the person addressed in “vous pouvez passer devant moi” and “vous êtes vraiment d'accord”, and the person receiving the action in “Je vous remercie” and “ne pas vous retarder”. Its position before or after the verb helps show its role.

pouvez “Pouvez” says that the person addressed can or is allowed to do something here: “vous pouvez passer devant moi”. It is the “vous” form of pouvoir and is followed by an infinitive, as in “vous pouvez passer”.

passer “Passer” means “go ahead” or “pass” here, as part of “passer devant moi”. After “pouvez”, it stays in the infinitive; “passer devant” is a useful pattern for moving in front of someone.

devant “Devant” means “in front of” or “ahead of” and shows the position in “passer devant moi”. It is used before the person or thing that someone moves in front of.

moi “Moi” means “me” here and identifies the person whose place is being passed in “devant moi”. This stressed pronoun commonly follows a preposition such as “devant”.

êtes “Êtes” means “are” in the question “vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?”. It is the “vous” form of être and is used here with “d'accord” to ask whether the person agrees.

vraiment “Vraiment” means “really” and adds emphasis to “vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?”. It is useful before an expression or adjective when checking whether something is genuinely the case.

d'accord “D'accord” means “in agreement” or “sure” in “vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?”. With être, “être d'accord” expresses agreement, so this question checks whether the offer is acceptable.

Je “Je” means “I” and marks the speaker in “Je ne veux pas prendre votre place”, “Je vous remercie”, “Je ne serai au comptoir qu'une minute”, and “Je vais faire attention”. It normally comes before the verb when the speaker describes their own action or state.

ne “Ne” is part of the negative pattern “ne ... pas” in “Je ne veux pas prendre votre place”. It begins the negation before the verb, while “pas” completes it after the verb.

veux “Veux” means “want” in “Je ne veux pas prendre votre place”. It is the “je” form of vouloir and is followed here by the infinitive “prendre”.

pas “Pas” completes the negation with “ne” in “Je ne veux pas prendre votre place”, giving the meaning “do not want”. The reusable pattern is “ne ... pas” around the conjugated verb.

prendre “Prendre” means “take” here, in “prendre votre place”. It follows “veux” as an infinitive; the full expression describes taking the other person’s position in the line.

votre “Votre” means “your” and identifies the place as belonging to the person addressed in “votre place”. It is placed before the singular noun it describes, as in “votre place”.

place “Place” means “place” or “position” here, specifically the person’s position in the line. In “prendre votre place”, it is the position that the speaker does not want to take.

Ce “Ce” refers to the situation in “Ce n'est pas grave” and helps state that it is not a problem. This form is used at the beginning of this reassurance about the current situation.

n'est “N'est” supplies the “is not” part of “Ce n'est pas grave”. Together with “pas”, it forms the negative expression “ne ... pas” around “est” in this sentence.

grave “Grave” contributes the idea of something serious or problematic in “Ce n'est pas grave”. With the surrounding negation, the speaker reassures the other person that the situation is not serious or a problem.

vos “Vos” means “your” and shows that the bags belong to the person addressed in “vos sacs”. It is placed before the plural noun “sacs”.

sacs “Sacs” means “bags” in “vos sacs ont l'air lourds”. It is the thing whose appearance and weight are being described, and it is used with the possessive “vos”.

ont l'air “Ont l'air” means “look” or “appear” in “vos sacs ont l'air lourds”. The construction combines “ont” with “l'air”, literally referring to having an appearance, and it is followed here by the adjective “lourds” to describe how the bags seem.

lourds “Lourds” means “heavy” and describes the bags in “vos sacs ont l'air lourds”. After “ont l'air”, an adjective can describe how something appears.

remercie “Remercie” expresses thanks in the polite sentence “Je vous remercie”. It is the “je” form of remercier and is used when acknowledging someone’s help or kindness.

serai “Serai” means “will be” in “Je ne serai au comptoir qu'une minute”. It is the “je” form of être in the future and describes the speaker’s expected brief time at the counter.

au “Au” means “at the” here in “au comptoir”. It is the contracted form of “à” with “le” and is used before “comptoir” to indicate the location.

comptoir “Comptoir” means “counter” in “au comptoir”. With “au”, it identifies the place where the speaker will spend a minute.

qu'une “Qu'une” means “only one” in “Je ne serai au comptoir qu'une minute”. Together with “ne”, it forms “ne ... que” to limit the duration to one minute.

minute “Minute” means “minute” and gives the duration in “qu'une minute”. It follows the quantity expression “qu'une” to show how long the person expects to remain at the counter.

peux “Peux” means “can” or “am able to” in “Je peux attendre encore un peu”. It is the “je” form of pouvoir and is followed by the infinitive “attendre”.

attendre “Attendre” means “wait” in “Je peux attendre encore un peu”. It follows “peux” as an infinitive and describes the action the speaker is willing and able to do.

encore “Encore” extends the waiting time in “attendre encore un peu”, meaning “still” or “a little longer” here. The pattern “encore + a time or quantity expression” adds an additional amount.

un “Un” helps form the quantity expression “un peu”, which means “a little” in “attendre encore un peu”. Together with “peu”, it indicates a small amount rather than a specific object.

peu “Peu” means “little” in the expression “un peu”. In “attendre encore un peu”, “un peu” gives the small additional amount of time the speaker can wait.

vais “Vais” means “am going to” in “Je vais faire attention à ne pas vous retarder”. It is the “je” form of aller and is followed by an infinitive to describe an intended action.

faire attention “Faire attention” means “be careful” or “make sure” here, in “faire attention à ne pas vous retarder”. The expression combines “faire” and “attention”, and the pattern “faire attention à + infinitive” introduces the action being carefully avoided or managed.

à “À” introduces the action being watched in “faire attention à ne pas vous retarder”. In this construction, “faire attention à + infinitive” means to be careful about doing or not doing something.

retarder “Retarder” means “delay” or “hold up” in “ne pas vous retarder”. It is an infinitive after “ne pas”, and “vous” identifies the person who should not be delayed.

Grammar Points

pouvoir + infinitif

Pouvez-vous passer devant moi ?

poo-VAY voo pah-SAY duh-VAHN MWAH?

Can you go ahead of me?

Pouvoir is followed by an infinitive to express ability or a polite request.

avoir l'air + adjectif

Les sacs ont l'air lourds.

lay sahk ohn LAIR LOOR.

The bags look heavy.

Avoir l'air means “to look/seem”; the adjective agrees with the thing being described.

French Vocabulary

d'accord phrase

dah-KOR in agreement; okay

Vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?

êtes verb

ET are

Vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?

Excusez-moi phrase

ex-kew-ZAY-MWAH Excuse me

Excusez-moi, vous pouvez passer devant moi.

grave adj

GRAHV serious; bad

Ce n'est pas grave.

moi pron

MWAH me

passer devant moi

passer devant phrase

pah-SAY duh-VAHN to go ahead of; to pass in front of

Vous pouvez passer devant moi.

place noun

PLASS place; position

prendre votre place

pouvez verb

poo-VAY can; are able to

Vous pouvez passer devant moi.

prendre verb

PRAHNDR to take

prendre votre place

sacs noun

SAHK bags

vos sacs ont l'air lourds.

veux verb

VUH want

Je ne veux pas prendre votre place.

vraiment adv

vray-MAHN really; truly

Vous êtes vraiment d'accord ?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

Show Answer

Excusez-moi, vous pouvez passer devant moi.

I appreciate it.

Show Answer

Je vous remercie.

I can wait a little longer.

Show Answer

Je peux attendre encore un peu.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

really; truly

Show Answer

vraiment

to take

Show Answer

prendre

want

Show Answer

veux

can; are able to

Show Answer

pouvez